DAY 1 – TEST – GROUNDWATER 3

Population growing means more pollution which increased drought means increased concentrations of pollutants.

Too many people – not because of space but because of resources

Ancient means of lifting water out of rivers like the shadouk were amazing in the amount of water that could be lifted and the heights to which they couldbe lifted.

The legalities that means that In South Africa, you are not allowed to use the water off your roof.

If you use well water, you need to fit a water meter so that they can charge you for it.

Te present water shortage in Cape town is meant to be addressed by drawing on the water from the aquifer under Cape Town. In the long term this will be silly, as the latest peer reviewed report says that at the resent rate of depletion all the world’s aquifers will be empty by 2050. There is concern that this can affect the survival of trees whose main source of water is by capillary action from the aquifers.

Boreholes are having to go deeper and deeper to get the water and use stronger and stronger pumps to lift it to the surface.

All the catchment of Cape town is 18 cu kilometres. We are already using 16 cu kms of the disposable water. 28% is used for irrigation by farms for fodder crops. 45% is used by the wine industry. Shocking how much is used for golf courses also.

SOLUTIONS

Part of the solution is the grey water system but one must be sure that the grey water is clear of the damaging chemicals such as surfactants which will damage the land and kills the microbes. There are also the California 21 rules which prevent one from putting onto the lawns grey water that may contain disease bacteria.

Dilutions like 10 parts per million seem not to be a problem but man is just now coming to find out just how bad even a teaspoon of pesticide in a river can be – killing fish for miles down stream.

People swimming in a river with hormones in their urine and sun tan lotion. Everything that you touch will bring pollutants into river if you have poisonous toiletries on our bodies. Maybe better being dirty.

If you organic food eg vegetable in a plastic bag it is no longer organic but contaminated with dioxins from the plastic. PVC puiping is deadly and banned in many countries. Slso many hoses have metals in them that make the water dangerous to consume for us or plants. They recommend ceramic pipes.

SOLUTIONS

Using grey water for toilets. Urinals which use less water ( like the Romans did). Faeces are being thrown into the sand dunes which makes it impossible to use the aquifers because they are polluted.

The leachate from a 7 ha dump is so toxic that it can wipe out an aquifer. Now the millions of cell phones batteries will add their toxins to the leachate and aquifers. Sludge from the waste dumps so toxic that you cannot have dwellings near it .

The knowledge imposes on us the obligation to try and walk a pure path which is what our earth needs. It’s a time for change.

Most of the governments of the world are not working for the people. They are working for big business. Why have they not moved the silt out of the empty dams to return it into growing food.

As the sea level rise a lot of the most valuable topsoil is going to be lost. We need the topsoil for the microbes. Moving the soil, increases the capacity of the dam and decreases surface area. The Persians always had narrow deep dams. It also gets hot if flat which increases the evaporation. Removing the topsoil from the dams must be covered by being out on an organic farm where it will be covered with living material and not blow away. Microbes in the soil can save the planet.